DESCRIPTION

The university permits the payment of or reimbursement for the purchase of alcoholic beverages that are consumed in the course of an activity which serves official university purposes as described in APPM section 1.3.1, Expense Guidelines. Alcoholic beverages can not be charged to Federal and other governmental sponsored awards, and can only be charged to non-Federal and other governmental awards where the use and amount have been specifically approved in the project budget. In addition, there are certain activities, as described in APPM section 1.3.1, Expense Guidelines, that are not considered the financial obligations of the university unless so designated by the President. These and other guidelines of APPM section 1.3.1, Expense Guidelines, apply to the reimbursement for alcoholic beverages.

POLICY

The university recognizes three categories of functions where alcoholic beverages may be charged to university accounts. Staff participation is limited to those persons required to conduct the function.

1. On-campus Activities. Executive Order 84-11, Service and Sale of Alcoholic Beverages on Campus, regulates the serving or selling of alcoholic beverages on campus and requires the advance approval of the Director of the McGregor Memorial Conference Center.

2. Off-campus Activities. Deans and Directors may approve contracts with vendors, in accordance with the contract policy, which include the provision of alcoholic beverages and the subsequent billing; therefore, the vendor must have a valid liquor license and the contract must be limited to reservation forms that specify only prices, number of participants, date(s), cancellation policy, and other standard considerations. Contracts containing provisions related to liability, indemnification, insurance, waiver of legal rights, limitation of liability, governing law, or other legal matters must be submitted to the Office of the General Counsel for legal form review and approval prior to being signed.

3. Individual Reimbursements - The entertainment of official guests may include alcoholic beverages: reference the policy covering General Expense Guidelines, APPM section 1.3.1.

The Dean or Director in determining the reasonableness of the expense must consider the nature of the function, the number of participants, and the unit costs per participant. Any university account that can accept alcoholic beverage expense may be used, but the use of Designated Fund accounts is encouraged. Many restricted accounts, especially those sponsored by the Federal government, prohibit alcoholic beverage expenses. It is a duty of the Dean or Director to ensure that such expenses are not charged to these accounts. The clearance of any audit disallowance's regarding alcoholic beverage expenses is solely the responsibility of the Dean or Director of the unit that approved the improper use of the account. The use of a General Fund account for alcoholic beverage expenses must include a separate explanation justifying the use of the account for this purpose.

University policy encourages the use of the McGregor Memorial Conference Center for all entertainment activities including those which involve alcoholic beverages.